The invention relates to an encoder system with a plurality of elements forming an assembly that can be fastened to the flange end of an electric motor by mechanical, thermal, and/or adhesive means of attachment. The encoder system includes a timing disc, a circuit board, and a plug-in connector. The timing disc can be slipped onto a motor shaft at the flange end of an electric motor. The motor can be connected to a power source by means of contact elements. The circuit board has connections for a U-shaped sensor-emitter unit which embraces the edge of the timing disc and is adjustable in all three spatial directions to permit the reception of position signals. The plug-in connector has connecting leads forming electrically conductive connections between the elements forming the assembly.
The invention further relates to a method of installing an encoder system of a design that meets the foregoing description.
Encoder systems of the type described above have to meet stringent requirements regarding accuracy under the most varied environmental conditions. They need to be designed for mass production, i.e., with the smallest possible number of simple and fail-safe components. Adjustment has to be highly accurate under all environmental conditions, even in complicated installation situations.
Because of the narrow and restricted installation space, the currently used encoder systems are predominantly equipped with a U-shaped sensor-emitter unit. The U-shaped sensor-emitter unit can easily be combined with the remaining elements to form an assembly, where the connectors of the sensor-emitter unit are inserted into a circuit board and connected to contact terminals for the supply of power and other connections.
In an automated assembly process of the encoder system, the problem presents itself that feed advance movements have to be carried out along several axes, where the need for a high degree of precision imposes special requirements on assembly devices, feed advance movements, and guide elements for the moving parts of the assembly machine. Encoder systems are therefore expensive, and the prior art production methods are failure prone.